The Best Crowds

The Best Crowds
Posted by ds673488 on 07 Nov, 2007 20:25
I know this is hard to determine since no one has official counts, but I was wondering if anyone knows which shows in PB/TB history has the largest attendance (not including festivals), and approximately how many people were there...Also, do you guys have picks for the best crowd atmosphere at a particular show, for one reason or another?

Just to note, i remember the crowd at Iron Horse being (in my opinion) just as wild as the crowd at the freakout (everyone was getting downnn)

#1 Reply
Posted by bdfreetuna on 07 Nov, 2007 20:35
I\'ll venture a guess...

Butterfield Dorm?
1000th show?

#2 Reply
Posted by Lexington on 07 Nov, 2007 23:50
pretty much every stone church show, w00t!!!!
electric company st paddys day
first Toads show with matty o was good peeps, good times
4/22 at middle east upstairs was real good peeps real good times
the last red square show, crowd was pretty into it

#3 Reply
Posted by Wolfman on 07 Nov, 2007 23:59
Best crowds I\'ve ever seen:

1. Baker Quad 5/5/01 (It\'s pretty evident throughout the recording.)
2. Butterfield 11/19/99 Read about it here
3A-3L. Every other Butterfield, Amherst, and Northampton show from 99-02. This is to take absolutely nothing away from anything that has happened since. The Breakfast plays shows just as insane these days, and much more often. There was just a particular vibe in that area at that time that has never quite been duplicated. I could go into more detail but I\'ve waxed poetic about this era plenty already. You\'ll just have to take my word for it, or for even better evidence, ask anyone else who was there and they\'ll always agree.
4. Fonghoulish Freakout 9.
5. Puppet House 2005, both shows.
6. Camp Creek 7/27/01
7. Many different shows from Toad\'s and Porter\'s and Stone Church come to mind, also Tobacco Road bus trip shows, as well as FF6, FF7, and FF8. Too close to differentiate but all VERY high energy.

I\'m probably forgetting a couple but all of those are clear winners. The important thing is that the frequency of high-energy crowds is much, much higher today than it was 4+ years ago.

Biggest crowds I\'ve ever seen (not counting festivals, per the rules):

1. Deuce CD release at Toad\'s, 6/1/01. To the best of my knowledge it is the only Toad\'s sellout. You couldn\'t move. We also did over $1,500 in merch that night, that has to be a record.
2. Baker Quad 5/5/01 Outdoor 360 degree stage, about 15-20 deep for 270 degrees and 5 deep behind the stage. 500-700 people.
3. Whatever the biggest Webster show was. I think we\'ve probably done over 400 in there.

After that it\'s a whole mishmash of shows in the 250-400 range that I can\'t discern.

Good thread.

#4 Reply
Posted by Gfunk on 08 Nov, 2007 00:14
In no particular order, best crowd atmosphere:
Puppethouse
Stone Church
Porters
Keene State
Iron Horse
Higher Ground (FF9)
Nectars (NYE & 4/20)
Beer Tent Moe.down 6 (I know you said no festies for the largest crowd, but this should still count for one of the best atmospheres for a breakfast show possibly ever)

#5 Reply
Posted by skalnbyc on 08 Nov, 2007 00:19
Quote from: Wolfman;167954
3A-3L. Every other Butterfield, Amherst, and Northampton show from 99-02. This is to take absolutely nothing away from anything that has happened since. The Breakfast plays shows just as insane these days, and much more often. There was just a particular vibe in that area at that time that has never quite been duplicated.

The Butterfield shows were legendary.

The fact that they were not played in a club and instead in a dorm basement with no supervision allowed for total freedom for both the band and the crowd. Also, most of the kids lived in Butterfield or nearby dorms so no one had to drive home.

Quote from: Wolfman;167954
Best crowds I\'ve ever seen:

1. Baker Quad 5/5/01 (It\'s pretty evident throughout the recording.)

One of the best ever. Even with cops and the resident director standing on the sidelines, the crowd of largely underagers drinking in public was not hampered. Even kids who mainly listened to rap were outside grooving to the Psychedelic Breakfast.

#6 Reply
Posted by Wolfman on 08 Nov, 2007 00:41
Quote from: ds673488;167944
Just to note, i remember the crowd at Iron Horse being (in my opinion) just as wild as the crowd at the freakout (everyone was getting downnn)

You\'re right, everyone was way into it both nights and Iron Horse was dope. But FF9 is in a league of its own. FF9 set a new precedent for :holyshit: moments ever at a Breakfast show. Think Phish busting out Dark Side on 11/2/98 etc.... We\'re talking about unprecedented shock and energy and admiration from everyone there regardless of experience level with the band.

Quote from: alexanderzurflu;167957
The fact that they were not played in a club and instead in a dorm basement with no supervision allowed for total freedom for both the band and the crowd. Also, most of the kids lived in Butterfield or nearby dorms so no one had to drive home.

You hit the nail on the head, Al. These rare "free-for-all" shows with no rules or inhibitions pack a certain energy that cannot be matched. When the person at the door asks if you\'d like to be dosed on the way in, and kidz are walking through the crowd before the show handing out pot brownies, and the kegs are free and sitting 20 feet from the stage, and the band gets to play as long as they freakin want... it\'s a COLOSSAL energy boost. You can\'t touch this in a club. Yasgur\'s farm and Thumper\'s barn (both upstate NY) are the only other venues I can remember that totally achieved this. Powder Hollow Barn in Enfield came pretty close for a while but had other things working against it. Small festivals also approach this point to varying degrees. It\'s a huge, huge factor when you can get it.

People, if you see a show that you think might achieve "free-for-all" status, drive to whatever godforsaken farm it\'s on in the middle of nowhere and go.

#7 Reply
Posted by jocelyn on 08 Nov, 2007 00:59
Did Camp Creek make it onto that list? It should anyhow.

#8 Reply
Posted by Me! on 08 Nov, 2007 01:05
^^^ festivals don\'t count.

My guess would be the 1000th show, or one of the Toad\'s show\'s from back in the day.

#9 Reply
Posted by jocelyn on 08 Nov, 2007 01:11
Oh, right. Didn\'t read the post very thoroughly.

#10 Reply
Posted by leith on 08 Nov, 2007 02:11
Every Winstons show I have seen since 10/10/03 has been off the hook crowd and energy wise and the band\'s playing shows it. I really hope some of you will be able to experience a Breakfast show there someday. It is a pretty special place to three of the guys for sure.

#11 Reply
Posted by Jim Cobb on 08 Nov, 2007 02:12
4/22/06 (or 05? i dont remember) at the middle east upstairs was some of the highest energy i\'ve ever seen at a breakfast show (or any show for that matter)

#12 Reply
Posted by Me! on 08 Nov, 2007 03:07
Quote from: leith;167984
Every Winstons show I have seen since 10/10/03 has been off the hook crowd and energy wise and the band\'s playing shows it. I really hope some of you will be able to experience a Breakfast show there someday. It is a pretty special place to three of the guys for sure.

the national I went on Winstons was prob the best show of the run.

Quote
April 10th, 2004 - Winston\'s; San Diego, CA

I: Inner Glimpse, Dig, The Chase, Escher\'s Etchings > Sleeping Beauty, No Regret, Great Big Fiery Ball in the Sky > Funk* > jam > Attraction To Shade Ditty > Message in Bottle, Dimension 5 > Score, May Fly Disarray, Rufus

* Rap by Al Howard

the setlist doesn\'t look too crazy but trust it was a blast.

#13 Reply
Posted by Klout on 08 Nov, 2007 08:42
best vibe ever = any show that mario is at

#14 Reply
Posted by davepeck on 08 Nov, 2007 09:50
Quote from: Wolfman;167954
1. Deuce CD release at Toad\'s, 5/23/02.

deuce cd release @ toad\'s was 06/01/01, just fyi.